Daily Grind

Ready to be stored until a craft sale becomes available. That is just the start. I have many many more.

Last night was a good knitting night, finished the cardi and will do the part I really don't enjoy ----- yarn ends worked in and buttons sewn on. Sometime the most difficult is finding buttons that grab me and say, "I am the button that will make this cardi shine."

I guess tonight I will start another-----------

Just Keeping in Touch

Today I decided that I better organize my stock of knitted garments. This fall I hope to participate in local craft shows and perhaps even the farmer's market. Even I am surprised, it is unbelievable just how many items I have knit including designer samples and the feeding of my addiction to the sticks and string. On the table are a very small portion of the ones that I rinsed and blocked today, believe me VERY SMALL portion. I also got another pile ready for blocking when these ones are dry I will take inventory and just see what I have. I am mainly into baby garments lately but I am now reaching out the toddlers and even tweens.
Oh yeah, I am working on another multidirectional cardigan. This pattern is being written as well. I believe it will be called BabyCompass or something similar that will draw attention to the South, East, West direction that it is knit. Oh, I am still into socks, socks, socks.

I also want to thank Gigi and Katrina for their compliments. Katrina, as yet the cabled pullover is not being written but who knows, maybe soon. I will keep my patterns posted. OK, busy morning, now I will sit down and KNIT the day away.

MommaBearKnits.

One more down and many more to come - - - - -

As promised earlier today, here it is. Now back to my sticks and string.

MommaBear cannot stop, she is addicted. At least this addiction will benefit the little ones in the world.

Finished and Satisfied

This sample is knit in superwash 100% wool, worsted weight. Machine wash and dry. What could be easier for a busy mom. The #'s were worked for a size 1, but with the tight cable all- over pattern I am sure it would fit from a 9 month to 18 months, no problem. The cable has a great deal of give so would be comfortable to wear and very very warm. I know it is summer and warm is not a necessary thing right now, but, it is Canada you know and winter will come again. I have also just finished a pullover baby sweater with cables down each raglan line and on the cuffs. Picture will follow very soon, I just have to end the threads and sew on a couple of buttons. Oh, I am also 3/4's of the way on a toddler cardigan with a more gradual front neckline. That will be done this weekend. MommaBearKnits on and on and she loves it.

Oh, right, I have to sit down and write it all down, right? Too many rights (writes) in that sentence!!!

Bye for now.

FINALLY!!!!!!

The frog squad has been sent away. I like this one, just have to finish the right sleeve and hopefully some cute little one year old will be happy to have it, I guess it will be a baby that will be a year old in the fall as this is in worsted weight superwash wool. Warm and easy to care for, what else could be nicer. I guess I should finish my other baby project as well and then start writing ----------

Rainy day in the Sunshine City----- no problem the grass will grow and the flowers will bloom. Oh yeah, the cutting of the grass and weeding will be a chore that cannot be ignored. Less time for knitting. MommaBear can work that out, knitting is a priority, right!

Final Version---- Hopefully

Yes, the Frog Squad had to return. I finished the body and started working on the sleeve. I tried really hard to accept the sleeve depth but NOT!!!! At least this time I did not have to rework the neckband. Today's pictures do not show the cable pattern very well, but I feel that a patterned back panel is necessary to fit in with the dropped front neckline and the raglan shaping. This one has cables all over the body and sleeves, looks cute, but not easy to write up as it would require charting or writing many many rows for the increases. I will likely go with a cable panel down the centre front and back and the centre sleeve, maybe just a 6/2 rib for the rest or just plain.

This time I increased the stitches on the front and the back to offset the tight cables and I left the sleeve numbers as is, so that the sleeve stitches would not increase too much. This may never be a pattern, at least not with the cables, as the increases would would not work in well with the 5 sizes that I have in mind. Perhaps I can work it with just sizes 2 (4, 6, 8); time will tell. I think the neckband #'s could be the same for size 2 & 4 and increased for sizes 6 & 8 but size 1 would be a stretch. Keep on checking, I hope no more FROG SQUAD.

MommaBearKnits on and on and on ----

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Progess report on the second try. This one is a size 1 (generous size) and is just a basic pullover. When I am happy with the basic then I will let my creativety take over. I am not sure if the sleeves are a little deep but that will be more evident when I finish. Little ones are better with deep sleeves but I will have to see how the larger sizes work. That won't be a big deal to tweek the numbers. I have hidden that bad bad odd ball deep in the land of stash. It will come in handy for my scrap hats or even mittens but until then it will not see the light of day.

Just for the fun of it, click on the patternfish link at the top of the sidebar, it will display my designs and my Friends of Cabin Fever designs that are available on line. I really must get back to my Baby ??? pattern and then I have another variation of Sam's Delight that I may write up and of course this red pullover. What I need is a ghost writer, so that all I do is knit.

Until the next posting, MOMMABEARKNITS, boy does she ever. Retirement is good.

O O P S ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I goofed big time. I had reached the body of the pullover, was proud of how it looked, well I already had a change or two in my head for the next one, but!!!!

Background info----For a long time I had several balls of Cascade Superwash in my stash. Quite some time ago I started a project, changed my mind and re-wound a couple of balls, wrong! I was going through my many balls of yarn, found what I thought was another ball of Cascade and put it in the bag with the others. I worked the pullover down to the underarms, separated the body and sleeves and then joined a new ball. I worked a few rows, looked at it ---- oh no!!!!! Different dye lot. No!!!!! different yarn. The colour was so close and the weight of both yarns was worsted. I very rarely knit with this colour so didn't even notice. I guess it is these old retired eyes of mine.

So I called in the "Frog Squad" and frogged the night away.

Going, Going!
Going, Going!
Gone!!!!

The good news is, I started another one, smaller size though, and am already one row from the underarm. What is also a good thing, I am able to put in the changes that cropped up during the process. I have put away the wrong ball and pulled out the right yarn. I will finish the yoke and by the end of the day will post the improved version. Oh so much time wasted. The frogs were a big help and they promised to stand by for the next goof!!!!! Go away Frogs!!!!!!

Progress Update

So far, so good. This sample will be a size 2 or 4 (not sure yet, the beginning #'s are the same.) It will depend on how soon I want to start something else. Keep in touch, progress report will appear again tomorrow.

Front view above, neckline looks like it will work ok.

View from the top.

I assure you, MommaBear will keep on knitting each and every day of the year.

Long Time No Posting!

I have not been posting but I sure have been knitting. I am working to build up my already plentiful stock of knitted garments (mostly babies, some toddlers). As you may have figured out when I design I knit many samples, different sizes, different colours, yarns, and especially variations of the basic do-the-numbers patterns. Some have been published by Cabin Fever and now that I am retired I have produced two of my own and offered them for sale on www.patternfish.com/shop; see pictures and the link to the left of my post. I am still working on the latest Baby ???? multidirectional pattern (no name yet), two pairs of socks and my special gift shawl. It is coming alone but I would have to take it off the needles to photo it. And of course there is quite a pile of UFO's waiting patiently.

So, Surprise, I have started another project, what else is new. It will be a top down raglan, no sew pullover. This one, hopefully will have a better neckline with the front dropped down below the back without all those short rows. The short rows are great but, I have to be different. I will post my progress. I have done the #'s (they will need some tweeking, but thank goodness for spreadsheets, I love them for the math). This one will be size 1 - 8 years as pullovers are not really practical for infants.

The first step is the neckband.

I will likely have the next picture very very soon. Come back and check it out.

Until next time MommaBearKnits

Love Your Acorn and a Big Oak Tree Will Grow

There is not much to say except the acorn project is finished and ready to go to it's new home. Hope the new Mom and Dad will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed the original design process. MommaBearKnits and loves to be different. All you knitting kooks out there, keep on picking up the sticks and playing with the string, knitting is a great hobby.

Acorns and Shawls - how weird is that?

First the update for the shawl. I have finished the centre and begun the inner border. The border has 262 stitches on the needle to begin the border and will end with 370 stitches. Then the lace edging begins. I cannot take a picture of 262 stitches on a relatively short circular needle, I know I should put the stitches on a string but whatever, maybe next time when I post. I will have to go to my LYS and see just how long a circular needle is available. The stitches are getting crowded and I am afraid of them slipping off. For the time being I will put the shawl away and work on the many other projects that are on my plate. Socks, Socks, Baby Jackets, and of course my next pattern.

In the meantime, I was asked about an acorn baby hat for a gift. As you may know, I cannot stop at just a hat soooooooooo this is what I have come up with.

The colour is a little off as the jacket and socks are still wet and the hat is not. I will place a couple of leafs somewhere on the jacket, any suggestions where to place them? I also am still looking for acorn buttons or if not then perhaps a leaf button. Again, any suggestions?

Apparently the acorn has some sort of sentimental connection between a sister and a brother. The brother's wife is expecting a baby in August and the sister wants to gift him and his wife with an acorn. I think that is nice and I am happy to accommodate. I searched the web and my many books and did not find an acorn pattern anywhere. Perhaps soon there will be one, you never know!!!!!

Until next time MommaBearKnits and she also designs. She is having a great retirement too! Life is good in Ontario Canada and summer is coming on. So are the black flies and mosquitos, oh well, that is the way it has always been and hopefully will still be.